TMR - Thomas x X-reader fanfiction

Chapter Sixteen

Y/N's POV

A sudden wave of pain shot through my body—stronger than ever before.

It wasn't just a sharp jolt. It was all-consuming, spreading through my veins like fire, making my muscles tremble and my legs buckle beneath me.

I would've collapsed right there if it weren't for Thomas' voice.

"Run!"

His desperate shout rang through the hallway, echoing in my skull, forcing me to push past the agony.

I staggered forward, gasping, forcing my feet to move as we bolted through the narrow corridor. The metallic screech of the griever crashing through the door behind us sent shivers down my spine.

I stumbled, barely catching myself against the wall. My vision blurred, my head pounding as if something was trying to claw its way out of my mind.

And then I felt it.

A sickening pulse beneath my skin.

Like something unnatural was spreading through me.

I gasped, barely able to keep my balance as my vision darkened at the edges.

I glanced down—

My veins.

The blackness was growing. Spreading.

It slithered beneath my skin, stretching like ink spilled through water, branching out from my fingertips, my wrists, crawling up my arms in tendrils of darkness.

I clenched my fists, trying to fight it back, but it was useless.

The more I ran, the more it grew.

The throbbing in my head turned into a deafening hum, an unnatural rhythm pounding inside my skull, syncing with the frantic beats of my heart.

I wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion, the fear, or something else, but suddenly, it didn't feel like the griever was the only monster in this hallway.

Something inside me was changing.

"Y/N, you—"

"I'm fine," I forced out, cutting Thomas off before he could finish.

His worried gaze burned into me, but now wasn't the time.

We ran.

The others didn't hesitate—no questions, no second-guessing. Just the sound of frantic footsteps, desperate breaths, and the nightmare of grinding metal growing closer behind us.

I could hear the griever's relentless pursuit, its limbs scraping against the walls as it closed the distance. The suffocating fear of the hunted wrapped itself around my chest, but the pain... The pain was worse. It twisted inside me, sinking its claws into my very core.

I felt my strength slipping. My body screamed at me to stop, but I couldn't.

I wouldn't.

"IN HERE!" Minho's voice cut through the chaos.

He was pointing to an isolated door at the end of the corridor.

We sprinted toward it, lungs burning.

"Quick, close it!" Thomas yelled as the others pushed against the heavy metal door, but—

BANG!

The griever smashed through before we could shut it.

I flinched, bracing for impact.